Yearout sentenced in high-speed chase

A Great Falls man who has led law enforcement on multiple high-speed chases was sentenced Wednesday to serve three years in Department of Corrections custody and pay a $50,000 fine.

Cody Yearout, 23, pleaded guilty in April to criminal endangerment in connection with one chase in Great Falls in October. Wednesday, he was ordered by Cascade County District Court Judge Greg Pinski to serve a three-year sentence in a DOC facility or treatment program, followed by seven years of probation.

He will also be required to pay a $50,000 fine, the maximum penalty allowed by the state criminal endangerment statute, and be required to perform 500 hours of community service.

In handing down his sentence, Pinski said Yearout came into a sizable inheritance following his father’s death and chose to live off it instead of maintaining employment.

Citing the adage that “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” Pinski said he has concluded Yearout’s repeated encounters with law enforcement are the result of having too much time and money on his hands.

Court-ordered disclosures indicate Yearout’s assets total $883,891, Pinski said, including a $40,000 Ford Shelby Cobra Mustang and at least five other vehicles.

The pursuit, which approached speeds of 140 miles per hour, was fortunate not to result in the death of Yearout, a police officer or bystander, Pinski said.

At the time of the incident, Yearout was also released from jail on a bond while facing sexual intercourse without consent and sex assault charges for an alleged forcible rape.

According to court records, those charges were dismissed after the reported victim declined to cooperate with prosecutors.

Additionally, in June this year, Pinski issued a $500,000 warrant for Yearout after he failed to appear at the initial time set for his sentencing hearing.

While being sought by authorities, Pinski said, Yearout led police on another chase reaching speeds of 85 mph with his girlfriend and 12-year-old son in the car.

Explaining his sentence, Pinski noted that he believes Yearout exhibits a “reckless” disregard for society and called him a “danger to the community.”

Reach Staff Writer Eric Dietrich at 791-6527 or edie

trich@greatfallstribune.com. He can also be followed on Twitter at @GFTrib_EricD.